[Misc] The 'Class System' Exclusively British?

[Comrade Sam]

Feudalism and capitalism are class systems. Every nation on earth has a class system, even the ones claiming to be communist. There are countries where it is less obvious, but there are those that own most things and live by exploiting the others for profit - the upper class, bourgeoisie, ruling class. Those that do and produce everything, but own little - Working class, proletariat. And those in the middle, perhaps own a shop or business or half a dozen houses - middle class or petit bourgeoisie.
Not greatly different in China and certainly the same in Scandinavia, even Iran. The vast majority of the world are working class. Funny people think USA has no class system, yet it is run and owned by a small group of billionaires that all went to Ivy League and most people don't even have proper health care.

 

[Monkey Man]

I don't doubt there's a wide spectrum of inequality in the UK, and social mobility is hard for lots of people. If you're born into poverty the odds are generally against you.

But I've never thought it was helpful, or accurate, to define this as a class system. It just isn't that simple or that convenient or that obvious.

That's before you start factoring in things like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability etc.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

You cannot move out of your inherited caste in India...

The BBC or Channel 4 did a documentary on the caste system a few years back, where a doctor who had emigrated to the US came back to India over a summer to help with medical issues/conditions of the lower castes. He was a leading specialist in his field so as good as you could get but he received dogs abuse because he was born into the lowest caste (Dalits/untouchables). His surname gave the game away but he refused to change it which apparently many do. One guy from one of the higher castes was interviewed and he said regardless of how good the doctor was he wouldn’t be treated by him. Wanker.

My mother who worked on a maternity ward, once told me a story of an women of Indian decent throwing a wobbly as the nurse assisting the mid wife was from a much lower caste, fortunately the head mid wife told her ’she's qualified, she good at her job and that the expectant mother should be honoured that she was assisting with the birth‘.

It does go to show that race, creed, colour, religion or ethnic background is no barrier to being an arsehole!